Vinotemp 101

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by arrow111

if anyone knows where i can pick up a VT anywhere in Asia?

i'd be forever grateful

Any thermoelectric cooler will work. Ideally it will have a temp range that goes from about 55-65. But even the cheaper Hi-Med-Lo units will work, you just need to use an external thermostat. Johnson Controllers makes one than many use.

[Sting Ray]

Great thread! What replacement cooling system should I consider if it breaks? I have a broken eurocave that I want to restore like the VT. Wow, this is very informative.

[nthuzst]

Hey guys I just have a quick question. My Vinotemp is set to 60 and the room temp is at 78 is that why I get a lot of condensation ?? I read the manual and it said it operates ok when the ambient temp is between 50F and 80 F. I have 12 ounce of 70 percent beads in it 4 ounces on every shelf. And at the bottom I have about 8 oz of KL that catches the condensation, but every time I open it the KL are soaked and there is even water at the bottom. How can I fix this problem ? btw the thing is packed with 18 boxes.

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by nthuzst

Hey guys I just have a quick question. My Vinotemp is set to 60 and the room temp is at 78 is that why I get a lot of condensation ?? I read the manual and it said it operates ok when the ambient temp is between 50F and 80 F. I have 12 ounce of 70 percent beads in it 4 ounces on every shelf. And at the bottom I have about 8 oz of KL that catches the condensation, but every time I open it the KL are soaked and there is even water at the bottom. How can I fix this problem ? btw the thing is packed with 18 boxes.

60 seems a bit low. Try going to 65-66. Also, most are using about a pound or so of beads. I have a pound of 65 in each vino with my temp set at 66. During the day the ambient temp is easily above 80. I am not as dry as AZ and I get no condensation at all.

[crazyhorse67]

ambient here has been hitting 75, i have 2 vinos with 65% beads, 1 with 70%, and one with 60% for aging. each vino has a pound and a half, i noticed a pretty big difference when i added another half pound, especially with recovery times. all temps set at max of 66 degrees, plugged and packed full and have never had a drop of condensation on the bottom. feels like i wasted time plugging and building runoff ramps. however i havent had to water in the last two months. i think its your low temp that's doing it, working overtime to keep your settings, but definitely add some more beads and spread them out over different levels. if packed you might also make sure you are getting some decent airflow, try leaving a clear path of some sort from the back fan to the front door, that will keep it from working so hard.

[nthuzst]

Thank you guys for the quick responses. I took the temp up to 66 and brought down the ambient in the room to 77. I also moved boxes around so there are no boxes covering the mask of the fan inside. I'll keep you guys posted.

[rack04]

Originally Posted by nthuzst

Thank you guys for the quick responses. I took the temp up to 66 and brought down the ambient in the room to 77. I also moved boxes around so there are no boxes covering the mask of the fan inside. I'll keep you guys posted.

The website states that the maximum ambient room temperature is 77°F. I have my vinotemp set to 65°F and my hygrometer records an internal temperature of 68°F. This is with ambient temps of 76°F. I don't get a single drop of water in my vinotemp with these settings.

[Scimmia]

Originally Posted by rack04

The website states that the maximum ambient room temperature is 77°F. I have my vinotemp set to 65°F and my hygrometer records an internal temperature of 68°F. This is with ambient temps of 76°F. I don't get a single drop of water in my vinotemp with these settings.

True, but I've had mine in an ambient over 85 at times, and it's been able to stay roughly were I want it as long as I keep good internal airflow.

[nthuzst]

6 hours later - its sitting at 69 degrees inside and 69% humidity. It hasn't been running as much because it sits behind my desk and I can hear the fan turn on and off when it runs. I'm hoping there is minimal condensation because it hasn't been running nearly as much, but I want to give it 24 hours before I check. I'll keep you guys posted.

[Throb]

I keep mine at 67 with 1 pound of 65%. About once a week it jumps to 70% then creeps back down. (that's without me ever opening it up). I have a box of ERDM Chiox that came really "wet" and I just figure they are releasing moisture. Any ideas or thoughts on the issue?

[jkorp]

I get plenty of condensation, no big deal. Just catch it with beads and rotate out with a dry container of beads every so often. I keep the unit set to 61 ºF which usually results in 65 ºF internal temp from a standalone probe.

Cigars that you introduce that are moister than say 65% will need moisture pulled out .You should see a spike in RH until the beads can re-stablize the environment.

If your RH is higher than you like, dry out some beads and put them back in. My RH is almost constanty at 64% [SIZE=4][SIZE=2]± 1[/SIZE][/SIZE], prefection IMO.

[nthuzst]

Apparently condensation is a problem I was checking for condensation and what I found was 100 times worse than condensation. I found mold at the bottom of the my vinotemp. I had 8 oz of KL at the bottom in a knee high and found mold all over the stalkings. I took it out and put the beads in a clean empty container and put them out in the sun to dry. I wiped down the bottom of the vino and was wondering If I should wipe it down with a solution of some sort ?? CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ?? Should I throw away the KL ?

[nthuzst]

Thanks to one of our knowledgeable brothers of the leaf I took care of the problem. Shilala you're the best. Thank you.

[Perry72]

I have my Vinotemp set up finally. currently I have 1.5 pounds of scotts beads. I am not running the vinotemp. It is holding at 65% at about 73 degrees. Is that temp too high in Georgia? I tried running the vinotemp, and it made my Rh drop to about mid 50's. If I run the vinotemp for a couple days will the Rh eventualy come back? I'm just scared that it will stay low. Any advice will be appreciated.

Perry

[rack04]

Originally Posted by Perry72

I have my Vinotemp set up finally. currently I have 1.5 pounds of scotts beads. I am not running the vinotemp. It is holding at 65% at about 73 degrees. Is that temp too high in Georgia? I tried running the vinotemp, and it made my Rh drop to about mid 50's. If I run the vinotemp for a couple days will the Rh eventualy come back? I'm just scared that it will stay low. Any advice will be appreciated.

Perry

It takes quite awhile for these vinotemps to stablize. Have some patience and see what happens. What do you set the vinotemp on when you have it running?